Dana Faralla

American author. She wrote a number of children's books, but only two horse ones as far as I know. These form a short series about a boy called Kevin who lives in a horse-mad community appropriately called Mare's Nest.

As well as writing, Ms. Faralla worked in a number of jobs including acting. She also travelled a lot. I am not sure what her connection with horses is however.

Kevin Series:

1) THE MAGNIFICENT BARB
(MESSNER [USA] 1947)
ILLUSTRATED BY PAUL LAUNE
(1st UK edition MACDONALD 1948)
Reprinted by Grosset & Dunlap as part of their Famous Horse Stories series
UK edition published in hardback by Macdonald in 1948
A German language edition was also produced
SUMMARY: Kevin is the descendant of Irish horsemen and like most of the people in the community of Mare's Nest, he is horse crazy. He dreams of the Goldolphin Barb, one of the greatest ever horses, so when Irish horse traders appear one day with a beautiful Barb horse with a magical white foot, Kevin is desperate to own the creature.

2) BLACK RENEGADE
aka BLACK LIGHTNING
(LIPPINCOTT [USA] 1954)
ILLUSTRATED BY PAUL LAUNE
(1st UK edition MACDONALD 1954)
Reprinted in hardback a number of times by original publisher
UK edition published in hardback by Macdonald in 1954 where it was renamed BLACK LIGHTNING
A German language edition was also produced
SUMMARY: Kevin encounters a renegade stallion called Black Lightning whilst working for a racehorse trainer.

Collector's Info:
Both books can be found without too much trouble in the USA, although The Magnificent Barb is a lot more common than its sequel. Both were also published in the UK and there are a few copies to be had there too. There were also German language editions,  which are quite common in Germany.